The Ultimate Price
by Ten no Tsubasa
Summary: Everything has a price. What is one willing to pay to achieve their goals? What is the price of love? Will Naruto find his soul mate? What is the price for freedom and prosperity? Will Konoha survive a new evil?
1. Chapter 1

The Ultimate Price

By Ten no Tsubasa

Disclaimer: Naruto is not my creation. Any other characters, story plots and ideas I create are mine to own. I am not profiting from this story, therefore –don't sue me.

Chapter 1: The Mysteries of Life

There is as a common misconception among the race of man about the word Free. The dictionary states Free 1: (adj) being at liberty 2: (adv) relieved from or lacking something and especially something '_unpleasant_' or '_burdensome_'. Therefore we humans have created terms like Free food, Free ride, Free peek, Free sex and etc. If you are an economist major you will know off the bat that it's a load of bull and that there is nothing free in this world. Even to take a breath requires your body to consume some amount of energy. Some may argue that the energy required during inhale and exhale of life sustaining gases is produced by the body, thus free energy. Then a physicist will argue that according to the First Law of Thermodynamics energy can neither be created nor destroyed, and that it can only be transform from one state to another, hence your body does not create energy, it merely converts the energy required to maintain bodily functions from sources we call food. Even if the food had magically appeared before you, without the need to buy or go out hunting (could be as simple as catching a house lizard and sticking it in your mouth and swallowing it after a series of crunches.) You will still have to excrete the lizard after your body as done digesting its remains. And you don't see people walking around pulling down their pants and dropping crap in your lawn now do you? Nope, they will have to find their own private place to do that. Could be as simple as walking into tall bushes in their own lawn and excreting, but after a couple hundred kilograms of house lizards, they would have to dispose of the waste or be knee deep in it. Yes, one can argue that if the place is knee deep in shit then find a new place. Well soon enough the garden will be running out of bushes for one to poop in and thus become pretty '_unpleasant_'; not just for the pooper but also for their neighbors as well. The explanation of how that kind of insanitation can cause health problems is probably not required (The pooper and their house may become the victim of arson by their neighbors in order to drive their unsanitary pooping ass out of the neighborhood. Just thinking of a means to acquire anything free is in itself burdensome; hence it contradicts its own definition and therefore the trem Free food is untrue. So the average smart modern man understands that there is a price to everything. Granted there are no visible price tags to everything; for example things such as friendship, love, honor, and etc. But the acquisition of such things has its own price and it's not a price that you pay once but a repeating toll that must be paid for everyday.

Five years ago:

Two rock carvings of ninjas stood facing one another. The carvings towered taller than four grown pine trees and stood at opposite banks of the waterfall. The stone titans were depicted as being locked in an eternal battle; a testament to the cruelty of fate. On a rift underneath them, two young teenagers were fulfilling their destiny. The blond one was destined to save lives, while the raven haired one was destined to end a life.

"_Me o samero, SASUKE!" (open your eyes SASUKE!)_

"If you don't open your eyes, I will pound you until you come to your senses." The blond boy held on to Sasuke's shirt, near the neck, ready to strike.

The raven haired boy was lying on the ground. He felt his body ache all over, but he was not going to allow the blond boy to defeat him so easily.

"How would a person without a family like you ever comprehend my feelings, HUH?"

Judging that the blond boy was stunned by his remark, Sasuke immediately took the opportunity to tackle the boy. They both tumbled down the cliff and fell into the waters below. Hopping on to the logs, that were floating on the water, they faced each other once again.

Naruto, the blond boy realized that Sasuke was correct.

"It's true that I never knew my family… But... _demo_…"

After a short pause, Naruto said softly, "But when I am with Iruka sensei. "A memory of Iruka sensei merrily treating him to Ramen at Ichiraku's Ramen flashed in his mind.

"If I had a father, it would feel like that…"

After another short pause, Naruto clenched his fist and said, "And when I am with you." The blond boy thought of the times they argued, teased each other and trained together.

"If I had a brother… it would feel like that," he admitted shyly.

"To me it was a bond that formed over the time we had together."

"That is why I must stop you. That is why I will not let Orochimaru have you!" Naruto's emotions intensified as he finished his sentence.

"_Nante da Naruto?"(How come, Naruto?) _Sasuke looked a bit sad and lost in thought.

'Why do you do so much for me?'

As Sasuke looked up grimly, he took out his Konoha forehead guard and tied it on. This was a sign that he had accepted Naruto as his equal.

"_Mo osein da yo_. _Naruto,_"_(Its too late, Naruto)_ "It's too late, Naruto. I cannot go back with you." Sasuke's words started soft but harshness slowly crept into them.

"The time for talk is over. I realize these bonds between us. You are more than a friend to me, Naurto. I also realize that these bonds make you strong, but I will cut these bonds between us, so that I can become stronger than you." Sasuke gave an evil grin.

"_Koi, Naruto!"(Come, Naruto) _Its time we finished this fight - this fight that has started ever since we met." And everything faded after that.

Present Time:

"I have my own road to walk." "I do not wish for a Future, but it's the past that I long for…"

Naruto woke up with Sasuke's words still ringing in his head. The sun was about to come up, and he realized that he was still in the forest near the training grounds. After the intense training he was putting himself through, he had past out again. 'Not again…' He thought to himself while he struggled to raise his upper body perpendicular to the ground. He felt a slight dizziness and his eyes fought to focus. When his vision cleared, he saw the destruction that surrounded him. First he noticed the large round spiraling crater that he was lying in. Then he saw the trees, 15 yards from the crater, were all damage to some degree. Some had branches torn off of them, some sustained deep scars to their trunks, while others were cut or maybe smashed in half completely shredding all of the branches. There was no pattern, no focus, or signs of control to the damage he saw.

'Damn! Still cannot control the chakra. And from the looks of it still cannot keep the chakra flow steady.'

Dizziness clouded his mind as he tried to recall the events of the previous night. Then Naruto heard the sound, "GRRORB." He put one hand on his stomach and felt the vibrations coursing through his belly.

"Ramen…" he muttered. As he pulled himself off the ground, his body resisted. Feeling frail and numb, he twisted to the side to shift his weight to his feet, and then he forcefully straightened his legs. The ground seemed to wobble and he was having a hard time balancing.

'Time for breakfast - should be able to get some in town,' with that thought in mind he trudged towards town.

Naruto was not an average person. Everything in his life was anything but average. The smallest thing he did had great impact on him and the people surrounding him. For example: The jutsu - Kage Bunshin or Shadow clone, which he had learned through a twist of fate in his early teens, re-enforced his psychological state in a positive manner – self image, future goals, personal ninja code, and bonds with people around him strengthened. The people around Naruto saw him in new light with his new ability. For some he was a living example of 'one who can will himself to induce self change,' but there were those who feared that his improvements were a danger to them as a whole. The idea of him being a danger to humanity was pretty viable. After all he was a vessel to a horrifying demon call The Kyuubi or The Nine Tailed Demon Fox. Though this secret was not known to most people of his age group, the older generation knew it well. They knew that the only thing keeping them safe from the wrath of the Demon was a complicated set of a dual layered four season seals. Though it was not widely known that the seal allow the merging of Naruto's chakra and the Demon's chakra, the few who knew however feared that he might merge and become one with the Demon someday (his soul would eventually become one with the Kyuubi). None knew of the exact out come of the result from the merger. Naruto could have remained Naruto or he could just lose himself to be a Demon, but they treated him as the worst case scenario anyways. Yes there is a saying that Fate can be cruel, but it is a known fact that people can be crueler.

As he entered the heart of the village it was already past dawn. The streets had started to become a live as people made their way to work. It was not crowded, since it was a Sunday morning and most people were still in bed. But soon parents would bring their children out for a family get together. The restaurants would be bustling with activity. Stores would be jam packed with people buying supplies for the coming week. Young and old couples would be walking around as if on a date. Naruto narrowed his eyes into slits. With both hands crossed behind his head he walked with his head arched back.

Naruto hated holidays. He couldn't bring himself to liking holidays. It was due to the fact that on such days he would be all by himself. All of his friends had families to spend holidays with - all except for one friend. And as for a date, 'who would ever date him?' he thought. But for now his mind was mostly fixed at his growling stomach. And for a good reason too, because the sound coming from his tummy became more frequent by the minute. His eyes were still squinted, his lower lip extended, he crossed his arms over his chest and for a moment he stood still scanning the area. From the looks of it, the morning was still early and the restaurants were still preparing for breakfast. Disappointed, he realized that breakfast must be had at home. He gave out a sigh and headed to towards his apartment.

Naruto's dislike for holidays was well justified. He had worked his ass off everyday to gain people's acknowledgement and trust, but still received the heart breaking cold stare from most of the inhabitants of the village. Over the years he had slowly constructed a psychological shield to prevent his soul from being crushed from all the heart-aching treatments he had received. To him some people were born lucky, for example: Yamanaka Ino was born with a warm loving family, The Hyugas were born respected as the elites of Konohagakure, and Sasuke was born to be a gifted ninja with a power blood limit and loved by all the girls in their academy and especially by his crush Haruno Sakura. Naruto could not understand why he always fought the up hill battles. Why was it that he had to work so hard for what he wanted, while others had it for free? The worst part was that for something like the romantic interest of a Pink haired kunoichi, Sakura, he could never earn - no matter what he did or how hard he tried.

Naruto jogged up the stairs of his apartment, as he came near his room, he noticed a basket made of fine rattan in front of his door. He eyed that basket suspiciously for a while, until he heard his stomach complain again. Naruto opened the door; he picked up the basket and walked in side. Closing the door behind him he made his way to the kitchen and gently placed the basket on his dinning table. A delicious scent was emanating from the basket, so it was obvious that it contained food.

'Who would leave me food this early in the morning?' he raised his right eyebrow suspiciously. 'Well, only one way to find out.'

As he reached for the lid of the basket he realized that his hands were heavily soiled and with a quick sniff left and right under his arm pit he could tell that he smelled funny. 'Guess I should shower first and eat later.' Moving away from the table toward his bathroom he striped butt naked and threw his soiled cloths in his laundry basket, which was next to the entrance to the bathroom, and stepped in for a shower.

The cleansing water relaxed his six footer, muscular, and statuesque physique. Naruto had been in many life treating battles, but his body had hardly scared. The dizziness and frailty he felt an hour ago were all gone as well. The healing powers contributed by the Demon within him were amazing. Wounds which would require weeks of rest would heal in days. The Kyubi's power also affected his chakra, which was vast and regenerated faster than a regular ninja's. The only thing that could not be healed so readily was the pain in his heart.

"And all of the king's horse and all the king's men could not put Humpty Dumty together again." – Humpty Dumpty

Naruto still lived in his old small apartment. His hard work over the years had earned him a lot of Ryous (The currency of his country.) He never thought about moving into a better larger place, because he was all by himself and a larger place would just mean more space with more emptiness. He thought that it would be better if there was someone to welcome him home. He needed someone who would give him some semblance of a warm loving family. Brushing his teeth he thought, 'It did be better if that someone could cook too.'

Naruto knew instinctively that he needed a certain someone in his life. He even called it Love, but with his current state of mind he could not even recognize Love even if it jumped up and bit him in the ass. This was probably due to the negative side effects of the shield he had constructed to protect from the years of heart aches he was facing from the residents of Konohagakure. In a way it could also not be totally the shield's fault either. The shield did not make him into a cold emotionless person with a stiffy up his ass. On the contrary he was quiet the opposite. Naruto who had never had any affection in his life (Father's love, Mother's love, Aunt's love, Pet's love, and etc) had never known what it was to be loved. With no emotional guidance from an adult he was left to figure out everything on his own, which was pretty much the same for all the jutsus he had to learn. Actually the only thing he knew was the coldness that most people treated him with and so he figured that anything else other than cold that was warm and fuzzy (which did not include cuddly animals) could be attributed to love. It was not his fault, really. Since he was deprived of any positive attention, he adapted the 'I will make them see' philosophy. 'What to make them see?' Well that he did have to research, which did not take too long; for there was a perfect example near by, Sasuke. Sasuke was strong, bright, and very handsome - all of the most beautiful girls were crazy about him. So naturally the young blond ninja took an oath to be the strongest and the most appreciated ninja in the world.

Naruto walked out butt naked from the bathroom. His lonely life had made him carefree within his own walls. He dried himself with a towel while investigating his drawers. 'Damn! There is nothing left to wear.' Quickly looking into his laundry basket, he realized that he hadn't done his laundry for a while. Naruto growled and smacked his forehead with the flat of his palm. He grumbled at himself disappointedly, 'That someone better be able to help me out with my laundry!' 'Oh well I will just have to wear my old cloths. I hope there is something left.' After some searching he took out a boxer and a white shirt. 'This shirt is too small I think, but oh well I got nothing left to wear so this will have to do! I got to do the laundry today or else I will have nothing to wear for training tomorrow.' Putting on his clothes he grinned at the squiggly fire insignia at the back of his shirt. 'My favorite shirt', he thought. Just as memories of him and his shirt were streaming through his head, his stomach growled again, signaling to stop day the dreaming and to get some breakfast.

Struggling in his undersized shirt his attention came to the basket that was sitting on his dinning table. Cautiously walking up to the table, he thought to himself and smirked 'Uzumaki Naruto is always cautious!' Just as he completed his thought he tripped and land face first on the floor with his head barely missing the corner of the dinning table.

"Ouch!" 'Man! that hurt! Geez, I got to clean this damn floor. Dang, it is sticky and it stinks!'

Lifting his face off the floor he grabbed the side of the table as he pulled himself off the ground. "So much for being cautious!" He grumbled. How a powerful young shinobi was able to be so clumsy was the million ryou question. Some quirks were just hard wired into his DNA, he guessed.

He carefully opened the basket and found a note. Immediately studying the hand writing, he recognized that it was from Hinata. The scent of her personal perfume coming from the note had confirmed his initial analysis. He smiled a little, 'Come to think of it, she has been bringing me things to eat quite often. What could she want from me?' Again he was disturbed by the rumble of his stomach. Quickly taking out the bento box from the basket; he opened it. Naruto gasped, his eyes were gleaming from what he saw. The different dishes that lay before his eyes were irresistibly delicious. He stared at Yaki Niku, Grilled Saba, Ebi Tempura and last but not least Damoni Miso Soup Ramen (Duck Miso Soup Ramen).

'Shinjirare nei-te-ba-yo! (It's unbelievable). She had been bringing me sweets and medical ointments for over a year, ever since I got back from my training with Ero-sen-nin, but a whole basket of gourmet food?' He thought with a big grin stretching from ear to ear. "_Itadakimasu!_" He announced loudly before he tore into the food like there was no tomorrow.

As to why he was unable to see Hyuga Hinata's obvious affection for him was another million ryou question. Most people thought that he was just dense, but Naruto is anything but dense. We are talking about a kid who was not considered a prodigy but learned the Rasengan in a matter of months while Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage who were prodigies took a year. This is definitely not a feat for someone who was dense and an idiot. So how was he blind to Hinata's infatuation with him? Well, one might have to dive deep into his past. Among one of the young blonde's oath was to be the most appreciated ninja in the world. Again to achieve this Naruto would have to look to his hero, Sasuke, who was always appreciated by the most beautiful girls in his age range. But as a young boy he probably was not interested in girls - neither was Sasuke. And to answer his question 'Why would I like girls?' He would have to do more research on his own. As we can recall that Naruto is an orphan and not an ordinary orphan either, but an orphan who was despised by most of the village's adult population. Therefore he probably had very little to none adult guidance in the matter of the opposite sex. Most information that he would have acquire would have to be stolen at best. So he would have to eves drop on girlie conversation or listen in on 'The Birds and the Bees' lectures that other parents gave their children. The reason to like a girl at his age was a jutsu in itself. Why would he like girls who never took the time to know him, but called him 'Baka (stupid.)' The answers were somewhere in the village and he would somehow find them.

The best guess would be that he probably overheard older guys talking about girls who were sexy and were beautiful. Some of them might have preferred to talk about girls with a big brain (large intellect.) While the older girls were probably busy worrying about their hair, face, lips, breasts, ass, nails, arm pits, and etc – The reason being that guys liked them for such things (Granted that some of the information maybe have been inacurrate because guys aren't interested in girl for their armpits.). After collecting and absorbing all the materials, he would have been eager to set his sights on a target whom he would pursue / love. That unfortunate target just happened to be Haruno Sakura (It could also had been unfortunate for him.) since she leading in the contest of being the prettiest in order to capture Sasuke's love interest. Now there is another characteristic of Naruto that has to be kept in mind when trying to understand his love life and that is his one track mind. So once Naruto is committed it is pretty hard if not impossible for him to un-commit himself. Unfortunately it is precisely this unwavering resolve that attracts Hinata to him.

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It was high noon, Hinata had just returned from a special mission. She was a full fledged ANBU kunoichi (female ninja) now. Her special force uniform gripped tightly to her body. The dark grayish blue of the ANBU standard issue ninja-yoroi (armor) contrasted her pail white skin, which was only visible from her shoulder to her elbow. Her semi metallic-leather forearm guard and breast plate made her look lean and formidable. A ninja-to was strapped to her back diagonally and her face was covered entirely with her ANBU mask. Hinata had blossomed into a fine woman. She had grown much taller than she was in her Ge-nin years. Though her bust size was lacking a tad bit, but over all her perfectly chiseled body was erotically captivating.

With the passing years she seemed to have lost most of her shyness and skittishness around people. Her current personality was close to that of Shino's. She was calm, cool, and sharp. The only person who was still capable of making her melt was the oblivious Naruto. She thought that it was strange that after all the things she would do for him from time to time, he was still clueless of her affections for him. Naruto recognized her and was caring towards her. He stood up for her during the Chu-nin exams. He even protected her during many mission in their Ge-nin years. But that was something he did for everyone not just her. He was always the nice guy - everyone's hero. Subconsciously she wanted something more from him. She wanted him to be interested in her body and in her soul -something that was more like a man's love for a woman. Both of them had crossed their puberty. Mating instincts raced through them like the rapids for white water rafting. It was natural for her to feel so strongly about him. Hinata could notice that her feelings for Naruto were a million folds stronger than they were when they were kids. Yet at the moment she was at a lost as to how to capture his romantic interest towards her.

In the cover of the roof tops Hinata stood cloaked in secrecy. The people underneath were about their business without noticing her presence. She stood silently in the shadows contemplating her next move. All she could think about was Naruto. 'Did he eat the food I left for him this morning? Did he like my cooking? Was he out training again or was he still at his apartment? What is wrong with me? I feel ….' Many questions and emotions raced through her in a blink of an eye. She decided to look for him. She needed to see him or else the uneasiness building in her heart would tear her apart.

Over the roof tops she glided silently. Her grace was awe inspiring. As she reached his balcony, she recognized the figure walking out of the apartment complex holding a cloth bag was Naruto. She paused for a bit standing on a roof opposite to Naruto's apartment.

"Naruto-kun!" She shouted. But all that came out was a soft quiet voice.

'Why can't you notice me Naruto-kun? I went through all this change for what? Why can't you see that I am crazy for you? I have never wanted anyone like this. And I wonder where you are. And I wonder what you do. Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you? Tell me how to win you heart, for I haven't got a clue, But let me start by saying, I-I l-love you Naruto-kun.

All of these words came to her as she watched him walked towards the nearest Laundromat. It felt like she spoke them. Her lips moved but the only sound which was heard were the whispers of silence.

'Maybe I could visit him. And retrieving the food basket is a good pretence.' She looked at her ANBU yoroi, 'I can't let him see me in this.' She had a soft smiled behind her ANBU mask as she thought about her new kimono that Hanabi had bought for her as a birthday present.

'Naruto-kun, I will try my best. I will never give up.'

She made up her mind and disappeared with a solid jump.

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"This is ridiculous. It's Sunday for crying out loud. How can they send us on a mission on our day off? They know that we have been busy taking care off impossible foes for that past few years. First there was Orochimaru, then there were The Akatsuki, and these days we got The Mah-ken. So at least they could just let us rest up on our day off." Kiba seemed upset at the fact the he was disturbed during one of his usual wet dreams on a day which was supposed to be a holiday.

Looking down at his trusty canine friend, Kiba handed out a doggy snack, which was accepted with gratitude. Kiba and Akamaru were special trackers. Their job was to track known targets and reconnaissance. Kiba's sense of hearing and smell were extraordinary for a human, and paired with his dog, Akamaru, his senses were further magnified. When ever their ANBU team went out on a mission, he and his dog were always given the position of a point man. Kiba also took pride in his attack strength, so he was able to perform multiple roles for his team. Though unlike his team mate, Shino, his offense was not discrete enough for him to be an effective assassin.

Aburame Shino was part of a ninja clan, who used insects in combat. His exterior image was cold and silent, but on the inside he was protective and caring of his team mates. Shino was the knife of the team (the real assassin) and would use his insects to deal the silent and fatal blow. With opposite personalities, it was hard to believe that he and Kiba could get along so well. But ever since they were Ge-nins, they had trained together and worked well together on various missions.

The Four had returned from a secret mission. Hinata had parted ways with them just as they arrived at the gates of the village. The remaining three had decided to head over to the Dango joint to get some refreshments.

"So why didn't you invite Hinata?" Shino inquired coldly.

"How the F would I know?" "She probably wants to see that dim wit again."

"I thought you said you did not know?" Shino inquired sarcastically with no facial expressions.

"Aw… Don't start that again! I don't even know what she sees in that clueless-blond haired-IQ of a snail-dim wit." Kiba's face was all scrunched up. Obvioulsy he was not happy that he was not as worth of Hinata's attention as Naruto was.

"So instead she should see something in you?"

"Of course! I am smarter. I am stronger. I look better than that whiskered faced baboon… and I L…." 'Love her' Kiba was having a hard time finishing the last part of his sentence.

"Love dogs." Shino helped Kiba finish his sentence.

"No! I mean yes. I mean No! … oh what the hell! Whose side are you on anyways? Give me a break will ya? I have been your partner for what … since the conception of our team. The least you could do is to sympathize with my predicament." After finishing his sentence Kiba looked down at Akamaru and petted his head gently. "Atleast I have you Aka. You won't stab me in the back like someone we know would you? Yes … I know you wouldn't." Akamaru let out to a short bark "Auff" in agreement with his master and Kiba smiled for him.

"All I was saying was, Kiba that you should not get so worked up about Hinata. She is out of your league. Even Naruto is out of her league. "

"I get what you mean. Her family would never let the Byakugan be passed outside of the Hyuga." Kiba growled as he finished his sentence.

"That is logical. I must say that I am impressed." Shino's monotonous tone was cold and unwavering.

"Yeah, whatever… I gave it a lot of thought. I just don't want her to get hurt chasing after that Dim-wit. I just hope that she understands her position."

Walking into the Dango Restaurant they noticed that it was not so crowded like it usually was everyday. "Here we go. Take a seat Shino. I will go order us some refreshments. Aka you stay here with Shino."

Shino sat down and started to think about his own love life. His father had inquired many times concerning a female companion. He had denied the existence or the need for any every time – to a point where his father was concerned that Shino might not be the average guy. But that was when he was younger. Now he found that it might be time for him to have a spouse and start a family. The only problem seemed to be that he had been so cold and quiet for so long that none of the girls seemed to have grown interested in him. Intrigued with him; maybe. And wondered what kind of a man he was underneath the cold and calm exterior; possibly But most probably they wondered if he had a proper sized manhood or if his manhood functioned at all, since unlike other men he kept mostly to himself.

'Maybe it would just be better to have my father request for a daughter of a rivaling clan. It would save me the trouble of searching for a suitable woman and in the process reduce the number of rivaling clan by one or more.'

Kiba had returned and took a seat opposite to Shino. He was followed closely by a beautiful hostess who brought them their order.

"Enjoy." She said with a warm smile.

"Thanks a lot." Kiba chimed returning her smile with his smile and a slight wink.

"So Shino, what were you thinking of?"

"Why would you think I was thinking of anything?"

"Well it's obvious you were lost in thought, with that cold stair out of the window shit, which you do all the time." Kiba stated with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Has it occurred to you that I was just enjoying the view outside?"

"Right, suuure… I know for a fact that you are not the kind to sit back and enjoy the view for no reason." Kiba was enjoying the dangos as well as his interrogation of Shino.

"Well if you must know. I was thinking about starting a family." Shino said it coolly, while starring out the window next to their table.

Upon hearing those words from Shino, Kiba's was dumbfounded. All of his facial expressions froze. His eyes open wide, his lower jaw hung open, and the dango which was supposed to enter his mouth froze in mid air. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

'Did I just hear him talk about a family? Is something wrong with my ears?'

It was the first time ever that Kiba had heard Shino talk about a girl and not just any girl, but a possible mother of his children. Why was Shino contemplating the possibility of losing his freedom and being locked in a marital bond was beyond Kiba's comprehension. Well it really was not Kiba's fault for since he was a mere pup, his mom was single, and his sister was single, so there was not much talk about marriage not as much as a hint, which probably was the cause of his lack of understanding of Shino's logic.

"Er… Shino? You take a hit to the head or something? Cause you are freaking me out."

"Is something wrong? It is about time for a family, Kiba. We are not getting any younger. And I don't know how long my luck is going to hold up. I could be dead tomorrow. You know that the missions we are taking are not of your regular variety. So I was just thinking that it is logical to start a family. At least there should be an heir or two for my name, so that if I would die my bloodline will not end with me."

"Yeah, I get your point, but you are supposed to get a girl friend before you get a wife, Shino. You are skipping the fun part all together." Kiba fingered his nose while giving Shino the mischievous smiling look. "And speaking of girl friends, check out the hostess, she is one hot chick!"

"Does it matter? Spouse or girl friend? Cause both will end up in bed with you at some point of the relationship."

"Come on Shino where is the romance in that?"

"I did not think that you were the romance type Kiba. A moment ago it was Hinata, and now it's the hostess… hm… you must be spending too much time with dogs."

"Hey! You impudent bug freak! That was a low blow pal! Lets get back to the subject here ok? Well… ok granted…there still should be some juicy lovey dovey like flowers, holding hands, and dates before we let the basic instincts kick in."

"Funny. I failed to recognize the difference. For you could share all that with a spouse as well."

"Whatever Shino, it's your funeral… I mean it's your life. Hahahaha"

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Birds chirped perched on the trees, kids played in the streets, and adults socialized while running their businesses. All seemed bright and well in Konohagakure. At least most of its inhabitants felt that way. But the Hokage knew better. She knew of the darkness that was rapidly approaching her village. Unidentified characters were roaming in her town, which posed considerable security risks. It was hard to keep track of a town that was continuously growing and prosperous. The numbers of ninjas at her disposable were inadequate. She could not cover all the bases and increase security without sacrificing growth in the trade and commerce sector that her village enjoyed. Most of the powerful clans of her village were too traditional and secretive. This was the main cause of the scarcity of powerful ninjas under her command. The average ninja of the village was strong, but even in numbers they were no match for the darkness which threatened the survival of Konoha. The new generation of ninjas were still kids and had a long ways to go before they could aid the Hokage. The old and elite Ninjas were over qualified and therefore formed the pillars that support the power base of Konoha. The lost of even one of them was unacceptable for it would cause a terrible power shift and leave Konoha open for attacks from the rivaling villages. The Hokage's hopes lied upon the younger ninjas. The stars of Honohagakure.

'Knock, knock.'

"Enter." Tsunade spoke in a stern commanding tone.

"Godaime Hokage-sama, one of our ANBU patrol squad has apprehended a suspicious unidentified character. The person has been interrogated by Ibiki-sama. And these are his reports." The secretary walked over and placed a file on Tsunade's table.

"I understand. That will be all." Tsunade was still lost in her thoughts, but waved the secretary to leave the room. Looking at her reflection in the glass of the office window, she let out a huge sigh. 'Only if I felt as young as I looked.'

"Jiraiya, how long are you going to be hanging up side down out there? And STOP staring and my breasts!"

The san-nin's face dropped down from the top window. "You knew? I mean… I WAS NOT STARING at your breast… because they are not so specia….. " He dared not finish his sentence as he saw her face turned red with anger. Jumping into the office, he straightened his hair and clothes. "Let me see this file Tsunade. I too am curious." He said in a deep handsome voice.

"Hai Hai (yes yes) I know. I just hope that who ever this guy is, he is not going to cause too much problems for us. We have our hands full as it is."

"Don't get too worried Tsunade. What's gonna happen is gonna happen. So worrying about it will not change a thing. We will get through it; you will see. Besides I will be here by your side through thick and thin." Jiraya's eyes gleamed as he delivered his speech. An aura of manliness was displayed in his stature. Tsunade smiled and though that if she was 30 years younger, she might have fallen for him.

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Feed back is appreciated.

This chapter should be a good warm up. I like to think that I portrayed the characters as accurately as possible. I feel that to do the Fanfic justice and give it a sense of reality and substance, the character psyche should be built upon the original Naruto series. For example: there are things that a character can or cannot do; think or cannot think due to personality restraints. Abilities and jutsus should also be built upon the original Naruto series. For Example Uchihas are Fire element users, while Naruto has affinity for wind and earth. To spice up the story a couple of notches there will be free radicals. Eg: Unidentified characters (my original creations), who will be reacting with the main Naruto characters. Bwahahaha How I love chemistry.

As for romance I must admit that I am a Naruto X Hinata fan. But I will do as much justice to the story as possible. For example: Is it even possible for the two to be together? Hinata hiso with a traditional/conservative family and Naruto absolutely no family and a radical set of ideals. A lot of resistance in this coupling. But Naruto X Sakura… what about Sasuke? How about Naruto X Ino? There would be a personality clash but still more likely to be possible than the other two. Naruto X Sasame? He was her hero and now that she is older she could be interested in him. There maybe even a twist or two or three (I just love surprises)… so stay tuned.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Ultimate Price**

By Ten no Tsubasa

Disclaimer: Naruto is not my creation. Any other characters and ideas I create are mine to own. I am not profiting from this story, thus – Please don't sue me.

**Chapter 2: Give and Take**

Shikamaru was tall and lean. His overall appearance had not changed much; just that he was taller than most of his friends and a slight gloomier. He had lazily made his way up on top of a roof with both hands stuffed in the side pockets of his trousers. It was a place where he often came to watch the clouds roll by. He found himself a seat on a wooden bench and then lit a cigarette.

Smoking was a habit he had acquired from his late sensei, Azuma, who was no longer in this world. Though he personally hated the scent and taste of a cigarette, he still smoked it. It was his way to feel the presence of his sensei's spirit. The smoke reminded him that Azuma had traded his life for his and was still around to protect him and guide him.

Though it may not seem like it, Shikamaru's personality had changed considerably. On the surface he did seem like the same person he was during his Ge-nin years, but a closer inspection of his work record would reveal that Shikamaru was anything but lazy anymore. After his sensie's death, his mission performance had increased by 300 percent. He had seemed particularly more interested in training new abilities and to find means for increasing his team's mission survivability rate. Even if there were no official mission to undertake, Nara Shikamaru was known to head out on his own missions and his main targets were mostly organizations like the Akatsuki.

As his eyes dosed off into the distant sky, he heard a loud shriek from the streets below. Quickly he scrambled to see the cause of the noise. At a 50 yards distance he noticed that man had snatched a woman's purse and was running in his direction. He rolled his eyes upwards, which usually meant that he was annoyed, and let out a huge sigh.

"Can't I get some peace?"

Looking up slightly he said, "I wish I could be a cloud."

With another sigh he looked down again to assess the situation. Just then he noticed that a young boy had started to give chase after the purse snatcher. From the distance he could only make out the scarf flying behind the boy's neck and a green goggle, which was holding his hair straight up.

"It's Konohamaru?!" He exclaimed with his eyes wide open in a slight disbelief.

With a calculating look he observed the boy, who had just slide tackled the thief's feet. The thief fell face first on to the road knocking him self out. The boy than picked up the hand bag and had started walking towards its panicking owner.

Just as she was going to say "Thank you young ma…." Her face froze and her eyes widened with fear.

Shikamaru screamed, "Behind you – you FOOL!"

The thief was about to stab Konohamaru in the back. Thinking ahead Shikamaru had already started to weave the seals for his shadow bind technique. As the shadow from the building he was on stretch-out to bind the assailant, Shikamaru mumbled "Please, let it be in time…" He had no intention of loosing his sensei's only nephew, the last of the Sarutobi clan in Konoha.

Shikamaru screamed again, "Come on come on, PLEASE!" as he fought to concentrate on his ninpo.

He saw that his technique was too slow and that the distance between him and the thief was too great. Just as the assailant's knife was about to make contact with Konohamaru's back, a man appear out of no where.

The dark figure was standing upright with his left hand in his pocket and held the back of the disabled thief's neck under his right armpit in a strangling hold. Without much effort the mysterious character tightened his choking hold and rendered the thief unconscious. Shikamaru was shocked and his heart raced faster causing a slight pain in his chest.

'Hey, that taijutsu technique is familiar. Where have seen it done before?' After a few mili-seconds Shikamaru realized that his sensei had used that same technique to save his life from six sound ninjas, at the time when the village was attacked, during the chu-nin exams.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and shook his head so that he may clear his mind to focus on the mysterious man. He quickly looked up again, unable to get a clear fix on the man, who was now fleeting in the opposite direction. The last things that he could notice were the ANBUs, who were chasing the mysterious man.

"Azuma," he whispered to himself.

Konohamaru was stunned, stiff, and unable to speak. He gave the lady back her hand bag. She thanked him with a sighing relief. The woman even gave him a handsome reward for risking his life for her sake. Fear struck, he stood there contemplating the outcome if the mysterious man had not intervened.

Shikamaru walked up to Konohamaru, who jumped to defend him self fearing that the thief had regained consciousness once again.

"Sa… Konohamaru. What kind of a ninja are you allowing a mere thief to sneak up on you like that, HUH?" Shikamaru squinted eyes looked at the boy in a condescending manner.

"Err… Err…" unable to speak Konohamaru looked at the ground with embarrassment as he twiddled his fingers.

"And who was that man anyways? Did you see his face?" Shikamaru questioned with a raised brow.

Still feeling the gravity of the situation, Konohamaru uttered, "Err… Err.. Yes I saw his face but – I don't know! I have never seen him before. _Kore._"

"You know you could be a little nicer to me, I almost died. _Kore_!"

"Well consider yourself very lucky, cause you could have been laying six feet under next to Sandaime-sama (Konohamaru's grand father) by this time tomorrow." Noticing that Konohamaru's face was turning purple with fear, Shikamaru stopped lecturing the boy. He rolled his eyes up to the sky with his hands in his pocket and his back arched and said as he sighed,

"How troublesome."

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In the training grounds, three large logs where planted side by side each other. Though mainly used for shuriken practice. Some teachers had a habit of tying their uncooperative students to them. Naruto was one of such students. A smile came slowly and painfully to her lips.

Standing in front of the logs a pink haired girl was reminiscing about her past again. She remembered the first time Team 7 met their Kakashi sensei on these grounds. She and Sasuke were eating lunch while Naruto was tied to the middle log. It was good times for her and thinking about them gave her a bit of warmth, but soon after a cold truth sank in with the realization that Sasuke is no longer a part of their team. This was enough to produce a single warm tear that flowed down from the corner of her right eye.

Flash Back:

"Sasuke, don't leave me. Please don't go. If you have to go, then t-take me with you. I-I… will do anything for you. I-I… I will even help you get your revenge. I-I… I-I c-can't live without you. Just don't leave me, PLEASE! Sniff sniff." Tears pouring from her eyes as Sakura tried her best to change Sasuke's mind. She was surprised that she had the strength to confess her love for him. But she was hurt that all her attempts to breach his emotional barriers were futile.

"Sorry Sakura – Thank you." Hearing those words she felt a blow to the back of her neck and she blanked out.

Remembering that night was especially painful for her, for she had failed to change Sasuke's mind. She was powerless – her love was powerless.

Lee being nearby, training as usual, stumbled upon a figure of a girl near the mired logs. Taking a closer look he realized that it was no other than the object of his affection, Sakura. Lee had become a more mature and stronger version of himself. He was taller and much more muscular. But not surprisingly his hair style hadn't changed since his Ge-nin years. It was the same old bowl cut that he wore so proudly - because his dearest sensei also had it. He turned Jou-nin a while ago, and had stayed so ever since. This was not because of his lack of skill to become ANBU, but simply because he could not perform a mission as an assassin. He just could not see why he must end someone's life just because he was ordered to do so. As for Sakura, she had been the fire in his heart for a long time. He never openly admitted it to her, for he knew that her heart only seeks one person - Sasuke. It pained him to see her so grim. They both had become good friends over the years. Every time he was injured, she would be the one to take care of him.

Ever since Sasuke left the village 5 years ago she had been heart broken. Sakura had sworn to her self that she would become strong and be able to be of use instead of weakly hoping that others (Naruto) would fight her battles for her. She was afraid that her uselessness had caused her to fail in changing Sasuke's mind that fateful night. She had finally recognized that she could not be a combat specialist; therefore she turned to Tsunade, the 5th Hokage, for her tutelage in the arts of healing and medicine. After years of intensive study and practice Sakura had finally become a medic-nin. She was very good at what she did, second only to Tsunade and Shizune. Other ninjas feared her fine chakra control. Some said that she could part boulders with a single punch. People always thought of her as Tsunade Jr. But of course they also accepted that she had far more potential than Tsunade and would someday surpass the Hokage (chief of the village), who was also her mentor.

Sakura was a little taller. Her hair was still short like they were since she had cut them during the Chu-nin exams. Her body had matured. Her breast and hip curves were more pronounced. Her taste in clothing had also developed accordingly. She now sported a leather mini-skirt, which sat on top of her black shorts revealing her legs mid-thigh down to her knee high leather boots. She wore a shirt like top with no sleeves revealing her bare skin from shoulder down except for the parts hidden by her elbow guards. She was simply sexy in every sense of the word.

Sakura's sadness gripped at Lee's soul. He had to do something to cheer her up. 'What can I do? Guy sensei always says that one should be true to their feelings. It helps to bring out the 'Youth Power.' Be true to my feelings? I feel like giving her a huge hug! Wait but that might be disrespectful and not to mention potentially quiet painful… BUT she seems like she needs a good hug! I must do it. The Power of Youth shall overcome all Pain especially if it's from the person I love!'

And with no further adieu Lee snuck behind her in three blinks of an eye. Lee's speed was demonic. The only other ninjas in Konoha, who could match his speed, were his teacher Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto (in his demon state) and Jiraya. As he arrived behind Sakura, Lee's arms opened wide so that he could wrap them around his beloved friend. His wide grinned face was red from blushing. He was just anticipating her body in his arms, when he realized what he had done, 'Masaka?!? (Oh no)'

Sakura shook out of her day dream and prepared to defend herself. Not knowing the identity of the ninja who had just crept up behind her, instinctual self defense mechanism kicked in. She focused her chakra in her right fist. Twisting herself around 180 degrees, she aimed for the largest target, which was the chest. Upon contact she flushed her accumulated chakra against the unidentified character. The impact caused a large bang and Lee flew away about 30 feet from her creating a cloud of dust and debris as he landed on his back.

When the smoke cleared her eyes widened with recognition, 'it is Lee!' She immediately ran to where Lee was lying. Sitting on her knees besides her unconscious friend she quickly yet thoroughly inspected his injuries. After she carefully activated her healing chakra and started to repair the damage she had caused.

"Wakeup, Lee-san. PLEASE WAKEUP!"

She screamed to no avail. Lee was unconscious, his body cold and still. Tears started to well up in Sakura's eyes. She had repaired the damage, but she feared that the damage may have been more severe that the naked eye could register. She was torn and was crying out a waterfall. The thought of her losing another of her precious friends was smothering her heart. She had to take him to the hospital to be examined thoroughly. This time it will be different she thought, 'this time I will not loose my friend.' She reached out and tried to pick him up.

Just as Sakura's hands came down to him, Lee reached up and caught her hand. Shocked, Sakura could see him smile.

"Oh, Sakura-chan. My body burns with the power of Youth!" He mumbled to himself. Lee's eyes were still closed and his cheeks blushed slightly. He was savoring every moment of it.

"Our Youthfulness shall set us free from the pain!" Lee said in-coherently still enjoying the touch of Sakura's hands.

Puzzled at the scene unfolding before her Sakura asked, "Uh, Lee-san?"

Upon hearing Sakura's question Lee's eyes shot open. Afraid that he would get the second beating for the day, he quickly shifted to his knight in shining armor composure.

Maintaining a heavy handsome tone of voice Lee said, "Hello, is it me you are looking for? You don't have to cry me lady. I will never leave your side for I am truly yours." Lee ended his sentence with his 'Nice Guy' pose – He held up his thumb and smiled so brightly that a streak of light reflected off of his tooth.

"_Lee-san no_ _baka_ (You Idiot!)" Sakura cleared her tears, and then she let out a sigh and a smile that warmed Lee's heart.

"Did I do alright Guy sensei?" Lee still was in his 'Nice Guy' pose but added a wink to the question.

All of a suddent Guy appeared in a flash! "BOOM" Followed by a cloud of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, Guy was also in the 'Nice Guy' pose and held up a thumb saying, _"Oi_, Lee, _Omae wa_ (you were) _Nice_ (great) _da zo!" _A streak of light reflected off Guy's tooth.

Lee stood up with tears streaming from his starry eyes. "Guy sensei!" Lee shouted.

Guy too had tears streaming from his starry eyes. "Lee!" Guy shouted

Lee hugged Guy, who hugged Lee. "Guy SENSEI!!!" Lee screamed.

"LEE!!!" Guy screamed.

Backing away from Lee, Guy said in a loud deep handsome voice, "The Power of Youth has once again prevailed! A damsel has been rescued from the clutches of sorrow! LEE! I shall always bee proudly watching your Youthful Progress!" Then "Puff," he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, while leaving Lee standing clearing his tears with his fore arm.

All the while Sakura was mesmerized and stunned with a drop of sweat appearing behind her head. She tried not to laugh but could not resist a slight chuckle.

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"The ultimate ninpo scroll has been under Konoha's protection for years, Master." A dark voice spoke with cold malice.

"Progress?" An expressionless voice inquired.

"We have spies who have already infiltrated Konoha and are investigating the whereabouts of the Hi no Hitomi (Eyes of fire) scroll. It is only a matter of time, Master." The owner of the dark voice kneeled for his master's forgiveness.

"If they got caught, Konoha will know about us and me."

"Do not be concerned Master. Our ranks have a new addition of a squad of men who are not of this world. Or at least that is what they claim. I have personally checked their background and it would seem that there is nothing known of them. It may well be a slight proof that these men are what they claim to be. Never the less even if they are caught, Konoha will not get any information by merely running a background check. And I have cursed them with a seal that would kill them in the case they were forcefully made to divulge information about us. These men have been personally trained and augmented by me, Master. I beg for your patience Master, for in time I will present you with the news of our success."

"Go and personally over see this mission for my patience wears thin. And this time failure will mean your death."

"Yes, Master." The dark voice's figure blurred and then vanished into the darkness.

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Sakura and Lee were making their way into town. It was late in the day and the sun shone warmly in the sky. They thought that it would be nice to sit and have some tea and dango at the shop where all their friends frequented.

The ally in which they walked in was not too wide or too narrow. The distance between the walls, which formed a fence around the houses, was around five meters. Lee was content to see Sakura smiling and giggling. 'She is so beautiful when she is happy.' His train of thought was disturbed as he noticed a man who was rapidly closing the distance between him and them. Puzzled they stood their ground to assess the situation. Lee realized than the man was fleeing from what seemed to be two ANBU warriors. Fearing that the man could be a high ranking criminal, Lee took his fighting stance to try to subdue the man. Sakura followed Lee's lead and entered her own offensive stance.

Reacting to Lee's obvious intentions the man stopped in his tracks. Calculating his options the man figured that he was surrounded. At his front was a pink haired girl with a large forehead. Beside her, a couple of feet away, stood a thick eye browed guy with a green combat suit. Sensing their unwavering battle intention he knew that they were at least Jou-nin level warriors. The man was panting hard as he had been involved in a high speed chase with the ANBU for the past 10 minutes.

In a few seconds the ANBU had caught up with them and he was trapped. Fear welled up inside the man; he could not believe that life could deal him such a shitty hand. Two jou-nin level ninjas were at his front; to the sides were head high fence walls of the houses, and two ANBU assassins were to his rear.

'Great, this is the end of the road.' he thought. 'What the f did I do to deserve this?' The man was standing straight up now. He was at least six feet tall with a fair complexion. His rough shave revealed a very light mustache and a light trace of a beard. His short dark brown wavy hair was combed back and stuck up slightly a low angle.

'At least he is cute,' Sakura thought.

With both his hands in his pocket the man said, "Hey guys, I have no intentions for fighting you. I don't know what I did to deserve such a welcome. This is my first visit to Konohagakure. Could you just cut me some slack, huh?"

One of the ANBU warriors announced stiffly, "Seize and desist! You have been spotted harming a Konoha resident. You will be arrested and taken under our custody until further investigations prove your innocence!"

"I suggest that you comply. I would hate to see you get hurt," Sakura said with a slight smirk as she cocked her fist and started to gather chakra in it.

The man looked at Sakura, sizing her up from her boot to her pink hair. "Hi there, pretty lady." He said with a slight wink and smile.

"I would not talk to her in that fashion, if I were you, sir!" Lee tightened up the fist behind his back.

"Why? Is it's a crime to speak the truth? She is gorgeous! So pretty lady, please tell me your name or maybe Angels have no name just beautiful faces!" The man brushed his hair back with his palm and smiled freely.

Sakura blushed slightly, but quickly returned to her battle composure.

"Hey what's up with you guys? I just helped a boy from certain death. The guy that I knocked unconscious was going to stab him with a knife! And this is the thanks I get? Should have known to just mind my business!" The man seemed a bit irritated.

"Should you indeed be innocent as you claim to be, we will release you with our sincere apologies, Sir." Lee stated respectfully. "At this point I recommend that you allow the officers to take you in for further investigations. May I remind you, that four to one are not good odds for combat." Lee smiled and a stray beam of light sparkled of his tooth.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" The man sighed disappointingly. "But what I hate more is being threatened." Just as he finished his sentence the man threw a smoke bomb to the ground with the flick of his wrist. Engulfed in the smoke he leapt aside to the right and headed for the tight opening between Lee and one of the ANBUs. He quickly scaled the wall with a jump, using his hands he caught the top of the wall and forced himself up, and jumping of the top of the wall to the top of the roof.

Lee intuitively sensing his escape vector launched himself in the same direction and was follow by an ANBU, who was followed by Sakura and the remaining ANBU.

"Konoha Senpu," cried Lee. With a smooth motion the man duct under Lee's whirl wind kick. Lee smirked slightly as he changed his whirl wind kick into a drop kick. The man interlocked his fists at the wrist and blocked the kick over his head pushing Lee back forcefully over the roof.

As the man turned around to make his get away, he was greeted by a plam flying straight for his face. Moving his face aside to the left while keeping his body stationary, the man launched his right fist covered with knuckle bracers, which forcefully cracked the ANBU's mask sending the unconscious warrior flying off the roof.

The man's nerves tightened as his heart beat was racing. "Come on… Just two more…" he muttered under his heavy breathing. Noticing a shadow approaching him from behind, he adjusted his weight to a back kick stance. "Leave me ALONE!" He brutally extended his kick out while screaming in anger. The ANBU took the kick to his abdominals, though the armor took the bulk of the impact, the force from the kick forced the ANBU to fold over. Just at the moment the man generated momentum through a 180 degree clockwise spin and sent the ANBU flying sideways across the roof with a fierce left round house fist.

He fought to focus his thoughts as his heavy panting made him feel a bit dizzy. He figured that the shinobi in the green out fit was not damaged and would be up on the roof again pretty soon. As for the pink haired kunoichi, she had not engaged him yet. This was his chance for escape, for he was running low on stamina.

As he turned around he felt a chakra packed fist screaming at him. Barely evading the fist by ducking under it, he made his way behind the pink haired girl and stood still. His adrenaline was pumped and his movement speed was enhanced as a result. Sakura could hardly keep up with his maneuvers.

Her eyes shot wide open. "Sasuke," she whispered as she felt an object touch the middle of her back.

"Don't move or I will shove this kunai into your back." He said breathing heavily.

"Sir, if you harm as much as a hair on her… I will tear you apart limb from limb." Lee had made it back up onto the roof and his eyes were burning with anger at the sight of Sakura being taken as hostage.

"Lee-san, don't worry about me. And mister I am a Konoha ninja… I don't react well to treats either." She spun 180 to strike the man. Lee's eyes shot open with concern.

"NO! SAKURA!!!" Lee screamed out loud with one hand in front motioning her to stop.

Sakura turned around to face the man and stopped abruptly. Lee thought that she had been stabbed for sure.

A drop of sweat trickled off the man's temple. Sakura noticed that he did not posses a kunai and that it was his finger that was touching her back.

"Um… That did not work as well as I had planned. Um… is it too late to surrender?" The man said with a wishful smile and his right hand behind his head; hoping that Sakura would let him off the hook without harming him.

Sakura just stood there stunned. She was confused that the man never really meant to harm her, while she was about to knock him inches from death. She stared blankly at his left hand, which looked like a pistol with figures extended.

"Sakura-chan, please back up and away slowly. And sir, maintain your position and don't flinch a muscle." Sakura slowly backed herself towards Lee all the while staring at the man's hand.

The ANBU warriors had recovered from their crash and were standing behind Lee. Lee-san we will take it from here and thank you for your assistance. "Drop the knuckle bracers and put your hands above your head so that we can see them." An ANBU barked sternly.

And so the man was arrested. Feeling the situation had return to normal, Sakura let out a

sigh of relief. "Who was that guy anyways?" She questioned Lee.

"I have no idea Sakura-chan. But if you really want to know we could ask Kiba. I have heard that he too is a member of ANBU."

Normally Sakura would just shrug and move on without thinking twice about such criminals. But there was something about this particular criminal that bothered her. Sakura smiled at Lee and said, "Um… if you do see Kiba, please ask him for me."

"I am pretty sure that Kiba would be hanging out with Shino at the Dango restaurant." "Let's go and find out." Lee said with a smile. He felt relieved that Sakura had made it through the battle without being hurt.

When they reach the dango restaurant, they saw Kiba and Shino just as Lee had said. They were both sitting at a table with Akamaru lying by Kiba's feet. Spotting Sakura and Lee, Kiba waved and said, "Oi… look what the cat dragged in. If it isn't the famous Konoha couple, Rock Lee and Haruno Sakura!" His remark brought a bright red blush to both Lee and Sakura's face.

"Hey Kiba-kun, a gentleman should not embarrass a lady in such a manner. It is considered impolite." Lee said as he walked towards Kiba's table with Sakura at his side.

Shino was quiet as usual. "For once I agree with Lee, Kiba, you should learn to control yourself,' Shino pointed out with a cold voice.

"Eh… Shino, you are no fun," Kiba laughed hysterically.

When they finally reached Kiba's table Sakura sat down next to him and patted Akamaru gently. Lee sat next to Shino and placed an order for tea and dango from the beautiful hostess.

"So what's up?" Kiba said inquiringly.

"Well we bumped into a criminal who was being chased by ANBU." Lee said with his eyes closed and arms folded in front of his chest. He went into his professor mode and started recalling the incident for his friends.

"Sakura-chan was wondering who that criminal could be and I thought maybe you could acquire that information for her."

"A Criminal eh? And why would Sakura want to learn about a criminal?" Kiba said brushing the top of his upper lip with the side of his index finger.

"Oh, nothing really. I was just curious that's all." Sakura moved closer to Kiba. Noticing the disbelief in Kiba's calculating eyes, she asserted herself.

"Why? What's the problem, Kiba? Can't you get me the info? Huh?"

Waving his hands furiously Kiba stuttered, "Ah… no .. No problems really! Ha ha ha." "I will check in with the squad tomorrow and get you some info by the evening. Is that ok?" He was pretty scared of an asserting Sakura. If she had lost her temper, he would be in a world of pain.

Sakura smiled and said, "Thank you Kiba-kun." Sakura was the kind of girl who was extra pretty when she smiled. Her happy gesture relaxed Kiba and of course it filled Lee with joy. And all five of them sat there enjoying their tea and dango.

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Hinata hurried as she finished up the last finishing touch ups of powders and perfumes. She really did not need much makeup to enhance her features. Her slightly purple lavender Kimono helped to enhance her complexion. As she got up to exit her room she heard a light knock on her door.

O nee-san (Sister)?"

Recognizing Hanabi's voice she gently moved forward and opened to sliding door.

"Yes, Hanabi?" Hinata greeted her sister with a warm smile.

Hanabi was surprised to see her sister dressed up in the new kimono that she had bought for her as a present for her birthday.

"Why are you all dressed up?" Hanabi inquired coolly.

With a slight blush on her face Hinata tried to conceal the reasons. "Oh, nothing really. I just…"

Hanabi immediately recognized the tell tale signs in sisters reactions and asked with concern, "You are not going to see that Naruto again are you?"

Hinata was caught off guard by Hanabi. Though she knew that her sister would catch on sooner or later, she had hoped that it would be much later. "No… I just…"

"O nee-san, I think Naruto is a nice person but…"

"O nee-san, you know our family well. I don't want you to chase empty dreams."

"You will be more hurt when he does notice you, but you will be unable to return his feelings."

"I-I…" Hinata was at a lost for words.

"O nee-san… you and I are both Hyugas. We have a destiny that forbids us from being owned by anyone other than a Hyuga. And father has already entered into negotiations with…"

Hinata realized what Hanabi was going to say and started to stare at her sister with discontent. The cold ANBU look returned to Hinata's face.

"Hanabi, father has chosen you to be the Heir to Hyuga main house since we were little. He always thought that you were superior to me. I have lived a long time in sorrow ever since that day. I had tried to change myself so that I may feel like loving my pathetic self a little bit more. Until one day I realized that my change was not for Hyuga, but was for myself. I wanted only one person to notice me and that is Naruto. I love both you and father, imoto (little sister.) I would die to protect the Hyuga, but I live for only one person and only him shall I marry (Naruto.)"

Hinata walked past Hanabi with a cold face. As she exited the Hyuga residence she wiped away the tears which riddled her eyes. Her grim future was smothering her soul, but she was committed as she walked towards Naruto's apartment.

"They can take my life, they can take away my dignity, but they will never take my freedom; that I will only surrender to you, Naruto." She whispered to her self.

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The room was dimly lit and the air was stale. His hands and feet were shackled to a wooden table in a crucified pose. The only source of light in the room shined directly upon him casting darkness into the outer radius of the light. They had stripped him of his clothes leaving only his under pants. He felt and strange drowsiness in his system, 'Oh great, they have drugged me.' He heard to pairs of footstep approaching him and from the sound of the steps echoing in the background he figured that he was in a stone room.

"I am your interrogator. You will answer my question willing or otherwise." A think voice addressed him.

"Do not test my patience for I did rather you answered my questions otherwise than willingly." The same voice said darkly.

"What is your name?"

"…" He twitched from side to side gently as if in a trance.

"Answer me!" The voice demanded.

"F off" he said coolly. 'Hm… maybe those were the wrong choice of words.' "I thought this was an investigation? How does an investigation turn into an interrogation? Why am I shackled to a table? I have done nothing wrong. Release me!"

"I will be the one to ask the questions. But if you satisfy my inquiry, I might indulge you with yours. SO! Who do you work for? What is your business here?" The voice was stern and commanding.

"I work for no one. And my business is none of your concern." His voice was weak but steady. 'This should teach me not to go saving other peoples necks.'

"Hahahaha…. Good… GOOD… you have got balls! It will make this interrogation the more interesting." A slight darkness crept into the voice. "Remove his testicles!"

A blonde kunoichi stepped out of the darkness with a scissor like tool in her hand. She walked over to the side of the table and untied the lace of his boxers. At this sight his eyes shot wide with fear as he struggled to break free of his shackles. His futile struggles left him feeling further exhausted, but he fought to remain conscious. The drug had impaired his systems completely.

"Wait! What are you doing? Stop… STOP… I will talk… just give me a chance! Wait! Give me a Fing chance!" Sweat rolled off of his entire body. He was panicking; something he rarely ever did in his life. But the stakes were too high this time. The consequence would mean absolutely no sex for his entire life and that would be a pretty severe punishment for any man.

"Alright then. Tell me who do you work for and what is your business here." The voice inquired calmly as the kunoichi had stopped in her tracks.

"AAARGH!" He screamed as a massive amount of pain struck his body. At first he thought that the kunoichi had cut off his man hood. Tears rolled off from his eyes. He arched his head back and blood vessels popped up all over his body and especially his neck.

"NO!!" He cried at the top of his lungs through the shear amount of pain. Soon he found out that the pain did not come from the area in the middle of his legs, but it stemmed from the right back side of his neck. 'That damn seal!' His body had entered into a state of shock. His eyes blackened and he became unconscious.

"What's wrong with him?" The heavy voice expected an immediate reply.

"It would seem that a seal is being activated, sir." The kunoichi claimed

The kunoichi turned the man on to his left side a little and examined the seal. Dark straight horizontal lines appeared in a vortex forming a circle in the middle. The seal appeared to be changing in color. Half of the lines were black while the other half were turning red.

"A seal?" The heavy voice inquired.

"Yes sir, it is a class four constricting seal and it seems to be reacting to our interrogation of the subject. It is killing him, sir!" An alarm could be herd in the kunoichi's voice.

"So he is a spy. And the seal is meant to protect the secrets within him. Is there anyway to deactivate the seal?"

"That's a negative Sir, if further aggravated the seal will just kill him."

"Damn! Unshackle him, put him in a cell and feed him. I will have to go and consult with the Hokage."

"Yes sir!" The kunoichi accepted her orders and stood at full attention.

A Couple Hours Later:

He watched the blonde ANBU as the kunoichi brought him his food. He could not see her face since it was covered with an animal mask. She had a beautiful physique, which was well endowed in every department. 'Man… she is hot. Must be the work of the rigorous physical training these ninjas are put through.' He smiled a little and felt a bulge in his boxers. He immediately covered it up. 'She will castrate me for sure if she saw this!'

"Wipe that silly smile off your face and eat your food." The kunoichi commanded.

He immediately stood up straight with a salute, but used his left hand to cover the erection in his boxer. "Yes, Ma'am." He barked with respect.

'He is handsome, he is funny and he has got a hot body to boot. Too bad he is a criminal.'

"New orders Ma'am." An ANBU male appeared next to her holding out a white scroll.

"Thankyou." She took the scroll to study its contents.

"Release the prisoner." She sternly commanded.

"Release him?" The ANBU male inquired.

"Yes, that's what the order says." She said in an irritated voice pointing at the scroll.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The ANBU male stood in absolute attention as if terrified of the kunoichi.

"Um… Can I finish my meal first? I am starving!" He said without even looking up as he enjoyed his meal. "I would appreciate it if I had my clothes back too. Can't just walk around town in a boxer." He gave the kunoichi a smile and wink.

"Do that and you will just end up right back here." She said with a challenge.

"So I can see you again? That maybe worth it!" He had a big grin on his face.

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Thanks for the review.

This chapter should have plenty of action for you folks as the plot thickens. Don't worry I am a martial artist myself. So I love action. I understand that too much plot and romance can get pretty boring pretty fast. So action is a good way to add some excitment. But too much action can also become senseless so humor is a good counter balance.

Feed Back is appreciated.


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